"Letís face it --- island music is made for dancing! Most people come up with a melody or words and then compose a song. Not me. I start with a rhythm that I feel from the energy around me at the time, or the energy and rhythm from a memory. I then start fooling around with it until the beat, syncopation and general feeling is right for the mood. I then add, change instruments and drum types, add background instruments, and fool around with the beats per minute. When the various instrument octaves, tuning and echo are where I want them, I finally think about the solo instruments and their accompaniment instruments. With these in place, I work on a melody that fits that rhythm. Memories of things, natureís sounds, the history of the places Iím thinking of bring the melodies to life." - Frank Tuma.